MAG Insights

Hi MAG Community!

My name is Jared, I am the Manager of Membership Growth and Engagement at the MAG. For those of you I did not meet in at MAG Payments Conference in Orlando, I wanted to take this opportunity to introduce myself as I continue to get acquainted with all of you. Like many people in the payments industry, my origin story was one of pure happenstance. I’ve heard some of the most captivating tales as to how others found their way into the payments space, so I figured it would be interesting to tell my story of how I got here, what I find particularly exciting about the MAG, and the road ahead. 

It all began in 2013 when I was managing a small hotel in Colorado. My life as a dedicated professional snow bum living the resort life had grown old, and I decided to leave in search of greener pastures. I had my eye on Seattle ever since I was young, and I randomly applied for a job with Amazon in the Transaction Risk Management Systems division, focused on risk in their German portal. I knew next to nothing of fraud, risk, or payments, but I spoke German and had lived in both Austria and Germany over separate stints during school. After a long interview process during my journey north, I accepted a role focusing on Buyer Risk Investigations. It was there I learned about chargebacks, alternative payments methods, debt collection processes, and the myriad of associated consumer fraud patterns and mitigation tactics as they pertained to the DACH region. It can be a paranoid life as a fraud investigator, but I learned a lot from this experience, and it was a great first foray into the payments world. Little did I know where it would lead me.  

After a few years at Amazon, I began working with the Merchant Risk Council leading their North American membership operations. It was the first time I was exposed to the wider ecosystem of different players and entities in payments; merchants, card networks, issuers, acquirers, solution providers, consultancies, etc., and it opened my eyes to the breadth of differing ideas, technologies, and businesses all working together to combat industry challenges. Aside from the operational aspect of my role, I really enjoyed leveraging both my hospitality and fraud operations experience to effectively engage and connect professionals in the space while highlighting the value of the resources that can help them grow and prosper. As I grew in my role and met individuals from different organizations from across the payments world, it became increasingly apparent that all stakeholders in the industry constantly needed to stay updated on the latest trends, continually seek out educational resources, and share their challenges and experiences with industry peers to succeed in this rapidly evolving landscape. Regardless of how everyone came to find themselves in their role, it’s this reality that continues to bring payments professionals together.

Fast forward to now, I am now with the MAG, working with the growth team to expand our merchant base while helping our members use the many benefits, programs, and services available to them. I look forward to meeting new individuals in the industry, connecting them with other professionals, and helping them engage with the resources I know can make a difference in their day-to-day. Membership can provide a huge amount of value, and there are a variety of ways members can get involved and truly take advantage of the benefits. The MAG offers many opportunities to collaborate with merchant organizations across verticals, spanning both digital and physical channels. Between our in-person annual conferences and the Special Interest Groups (SIGs), Communities of Practice (COPs), and Committee gatherings, there is materially relevant content and tailored groups for peers from various sectors to interact with and learn from some of the brightest minds in the industry. In terms of education, one of the most powerful benefits for our members is access to the Merchant Payments eLearning courses. From MP101, MP200, Payments Technology, and the Microlearning courses, these educational offerings can be true cornerstones of your organization’s payments knowledge initiatives, which I encourage all members to leverage in the development of their staff. Coupling this with the multitude of resources available through the MAG Learning Center, any organization can stay ahead of the curve to realize cost savings well beyond the annual expense of membership. 

As the MAG continues to expand its presence across the world, we strive to offer unparalleled opportunities to connect with other payments professionals, deliver best-in-class educational content, and advocate for merchants’ payments needs everywhere. Our best asset is the many dedicated members who create the community of support across the industry, and I am looking forward to meeting all the new faces and bringing the industry closer together as we all strive for common goals. If anyone wants to discuss how they can get more engaged, or just want to say “hi,” and tell their story of how they got here, please do not hesitate to reach out to me, Jared Csar, directly. I always have time for our members and look forward to seeing everyone at Payments MAGnified this February in D.C.!